Let's play a game
by fortheloveofawerewolf
Summary: When Katniss, a small town's local witch, sees notorious player Peeta Mellark hitting on her sister, she takes immediate action. Prim is offended Katniss doesn't think she can handle life on her own, and tells Katniss she needs to have more fun. Katniss takes this as a challenge, and so the game begins. AU
1. I hear you're a player

**I know! I know! ANOTHER story... I should finish the ones I have buttttttt... This one came to me through another Pinterest prompt, it probably won't be super long, but then again my longest story isn't 20K so that isn't saying a whole lot. Please leave me reviews on this one too!**

CHAPTER 1 ~ I hear you're a player

"Prim." Prim stopped when I shouted her name. Phone unlocked and midair in her hand, halfway between the two of them. He looked amused. I closed the gap between us quickly, my skirt swishing behind me as I jogged.

"Katniss, what are you doing here?" She whispered to me, as if the man couldn't hear her.

"What are you doing seems to be a more relevant question. That'll be all, Peeta Mellark. You'd do well to not bother my sister again." I warned him and he raised his perfect blond brow at me.

"Primrose, you're 18, you're allowed to see whoever you want by law. But I'll be on my way." He bowed gracefully to the two of us, Prim giggled and I scowled at his back.

"Prim, I don't want you seeing him, he's a notorious player. He'll string you along and break your heart for the fun of it, which I can't fix for you. Steer clear of Peeta Mellark, he's dangerous."

"I'm not a little kid, Katniss. I know you still see me as the 11 year old starving child but now I'm an adult and I can think for myself."

"I'm not thinking for you, I'm warning you so you don't get hurt! There's only so much I can do to fix other people's mistakes!" I argued.

"And that's why you'll never have as much adventure in life, Katniss! Yeah, I may end up hurt in the end but I'll learn what it's like to be with someone like him, it's a life experience."

"That's stupid!" I protested.

"I don't care!" Prim shoved her phone back into her jeans pocket. "I'm tired of you constantly protecting me from everything, I want to learn what life is like on my own." She said before turning on her heel and walking away from me, opposite the direction Peeta Mellark took. I smacked my palm to my forehead and went inside the diner.

"Table for one?" The waitress asked nervously as I let my eyes adjust to the darker room. I scanned the tables, the place was busy but not terribly so. My eye fell on the back of a blond head at a table for two with one seat empty.

"No, I'm with him." I lie, pointing, and the girl nods, handing me a menu cautiously and leading me over.

"Well well well, Katniss Everdeen. Did you tell Prim to stay away from me so that you can have me yourself?" Peeta questioned with a crooked smile on his face. I maintain my cool, easy expression and rest my elbows on the table across from him, touching the condensation on his glass and looking at it on my fingers.

"Don't be ridiculous, you're not my type. I'm here to tell you to stay away from Prim, I'm sure you don't want me to resort to other methods. She doesn't need to be another one of your dolls to play with."

"Sounds like you think I'm gonna break her heart." He leans forward with his elbows mirroring mine, hands clasped.

"I heard you're a player." I accuse. His expression doesn't change, but he moves his eyes to look at the rings on my hands. "So let's play a game." His interest is piqued.

"Leave Prim out of this. Date me instead, let's sweet talk. Let's play fight, let's talk 24/7, let's tell each other good morning and good night every day. Let's take walks together, give each other nicknames, hang out with each other's friends. Let's go on dates. Let's talk on the phone all night long. Let's hold each other, let's hug... and kiss." I have him now, he'll never turn down a game or challenge. I finish. "Whoever falls in love first?" I tip my head forward and look him in his deep blue eyes seriously. "Loses." I whisper.

He's ensnared, entranced even. I have to raise my eyebrow and prompt him to speak.

"Well?"

"Sounds dangerous." He sits back and takes a sip of his water. "Just the kind of game I like best. Deal, sweetheart. And for the record, you're not my type either." He puts his hand out and I shake it.

This is stupid.

I don't care.


	2. Love Potion

CHAPTER 2 ~ Love potion

After Peeta paid for our lunch, I went home, my cat scowling from his perch high above my head.

"Yeah I know I'm late, Buttercup. Has Prim been here?" He shook his head slowly. I huffed and went to my desk, swiping bottles and boxes out of my way to sit down and read through the ancient book that sat there.

"Health... beauty... I mean I guess I could stand to be more beautiful..." I shrugged to myself. "Youth... reanimation... I think I have this one down by heart." I closed the book, getting up to look at my bookshelves.

"Why do I have so many, I need to create a complete compilation." I moved Buttercup's tail out of my way, grabbing the large yellow book and opening it with the key around my neck.

"Love..." I searched through the pages, finally finding what I was looking for. "Love. Here." I hefted the book onto my book stand and looked at the page intently.

"Glad I got this out now, I'm going to need a bunch of ingredients." I told myself, skimming down the list. I took a page of paper from the floor and a pen from my hair and started writing down things I'd need.

"What the-how am I supposed to afford a diamond?" I sputtered. I flipped through a few different books looking for an alternative. As I searched, I heard the front door open and close angrily.

"Katniss!" Prim yelled.

"I'm in my room!" I yelled back. She came in a moment later.

"What are you doing? I told you not to use that stuff unless someone is dying." She complained, looking around for an unoccupied chair and finding none. "You're such a slob, Mom would be horrified at the mess you've made with her things."

"She shouldn't be surprised, she gave all of it to her sloppy daughter."

"You know why, it's not like she could have given it to me, it would have been useless." Prim argued back.

"Either way, she didn't expect it to stay spotless when she gave it to me." Prim conceded the point and started poking at some of my projects.

"What are you even doin-LOVE? Katniss!" She screeched.

"What!"

"You know you're not supposed to use that one!"

"I'm breaking rules, Prim. I'm trying something new, now I'd like to get back to work if you don't need anything. Your apartment is operating well?"

"Yeah fine, who the hell are you using it on?"

"I'm entitled to keep my intentions to myself, thank you very much."

"I expect you to behave yourself, don't do anything stupid." She got up to leave. "And don't you dare make someone fall in love with me." She demanded over her shoulder. The door locked behind her and Buttercup leapt down from his throne.

"I know, I know. But she's right, it's high time I start doing stuff, this is as good a place as any to start." I went back to listing off things I'd need to order. My cauldron sat unused in the corner of the room, I hadn't made anything in it in a long time, the last thing being refried beans for lack of something more appropriate to put them in. I laughed at myself. I really do need a life. Time to start a love potion brewing.


	3. Let the games begin

CHAPTER 3 ~ Let the games begin

Peeta Mellark is an utter asshole, there's no getting around that. His blond hair, blue eyes and pale skin make an aesthetically appealing mask over a disgusting personality.

He's thrilling to be around, match wits with or piss off, I like getting him riled up so the muscle by his jaw ticks and those pale cheeks get flushed. Prim found out what's happening yesterday and she's half annoyed, half for me finally doing something vaguely boy-related.

In this town, I'm generally considered a bad influence, most people don't associate with me unless they're sick or dying, since my one good quality is being a healer. Slowly, being called the town bitch morphed into being accepted as the town witch, and my mother's practice was barely enough to keep the people from hauling me out and kicking me to Timbuktu. To prove to everyone that I am fully capable of seducing a male, I've decided that only under specific circumstances will I use the love potion that I prepared. In its place, I crush a Jasmine blossom between my fingers and tap them behind my ears. If I'm not going to use magik, I can at least use normal girl seduction things instead, that's completely fair...

Now, I'm in my small bedroom, trying on every item of clothing that I own, looking for something to wear on our "first date." My mostly black wardrobe lay all across the bed, floor and chair. I turned in front of the mirror, once again deciding that there was entirely too much lace on this for a first date. I stripped off the dress and left it where it lay on the floor, grabbing yet another one from my closet. I have a vast array of different styles, but all of them are more elegant and slightly outdated. I inherited many of them from my mom, and some still smell faintly of her. Those, I keep locked away in the trunk at the foot of my bed.

I rarely wear this next one, since the charm on the zipper broke and I've been too scatterbrained to put it back on. Sighing, I went back into my lair and dug around my desk drawers for a wand. I have several in case one breaks or something, but I my hand landed on the metal one first, it's my favorite anyway, so I tend to have it closer to the top of my clutter. Heading back into my bedroom, I place my dress down on my bed, mumble out the words to the charm, hoping I got them in the right order this time, and stand back. When nothing explodes or turns into a frog after a few seconds, I pick up the dress again and unzip it, pull it on, and reach over my shoulder to touch the top of the back, and grin as it self-zips. Although I've always been a witch and had basic healing ability, these simple, minor charms and spells aren't as intuitive, I can't just touch something and start the healing process or mix things together to get a potion, I have to remember the words to the spell and repeat them in the right order, the right way.

I look myself in the mirror, finally satisfied with the outfit. The simple lace dress had small cap sleeves and a hem that reached my knees. My sheer maroon tights provide a little color, which I'm not used to but hope Peeta will like. I cinched the middle with a belt and start putting my important accessories back on, my moon crystal, my three rings, and my wand tucked down the front of the bodice for now. It will eventually end up in my boot, but I don't have them out yet. I gathered my hair together in a braid over my shoulder and put on my black lipgloss and wiped a smudge of mascara off my eyelid. I did my makeup this morning and it stayed on well, but my nerves have me biting my lips more often than normal and I licked off all my lipstick.

My heart skipped a beat when I heard the clank of the knocker at the front door. I grabbed my heeled boots and waved my wand for the door to open while I made a dramatic entrance down the stone stairs to the entryway.

I heard Peeta's concerned "Katniss?" as I zipped up the studded, 6 inch tall boots sitting on the top step, hidden from his view.

"Right here." I announced, closing the door behind him with a flick of my wand and appearing at the bottom of the stairs while his back was turned to watch the door close by itself. He jumped when he turned around again, and I smiled. He pressed a hand to his heart, blinking and looking back between me, the stairs and the door.

"Normal is subjective, but I can't say I see this every day." He remarked to himself. Finally looking back at me, a small smile came to his face. "You look pretty." I felt myself blushing.

"You think so?" I twirled for him, my repressed girliness making an appearance.

"Yeah, less scary than you normally do. How do you walk in those?" He gestured to my shoes.

"I charmed them so I don't fall." I explain a little sheepishly.

"You... you can do that kind of thing? Nice." He looked impressed, scratching the back of his neck. "You're gonna have to excuse my vast lack of knowledge regarding witches and magic in general, I... I sorta feel bad now but I was never supposed to interact with the witch on the block." He shrugs, referring to my mom. I had few friends as a kid, due to most mothers telling their kids to stay away from the weird Everdeens.

"That's okay, most people don't really take the time to learn about us, I'm glad Prim didn't turn out to be a witch or she would miss out on everything I do."

"Like boys?" He suggests with a small smile. I nod.

"Like boys. There's a reason assholes like you hit on her and not me..." I explain indifferently. Peeta looks a little offended.

"Assholes like me?"

"Yeah, players. Fuckboys. You know." I shrug.

"Huh. Okay." He frowns. "We should get going, I made reservations for 6." He turns and looks at the door, then back over his shoulder at me. I roll my eyes and open it.

"There's a doorknob you know..." I stride past him as he closes it.

"I told you, I don't know how witch castles work."


	4. Date Night

CHAPTER 4 ~

"I'm impressed." I say, taking in our surroundings. "I thought you'd take me to someplace you'd be more comfortable."

"Well, if I'm going to date you, I figure I might as well get used to witchiness sooner rather than later. I just wish it wasn't such a long drive."

"D12 county isn't known for being particularly accepting of witches unless they're being benefitted."

"Yeah, dumbasses. Anyway, how do you like this place?" We sit at a low, worn, dark wood table with minimalist dark chairs to match. The air is tinged with different scents, and I recognize most, having used those herbs in my own experiments and remedies.

"I like it, it's very much like my house."

"You mean your castle?" He teases. I laugh, shaking my head.

"Call it what you want, it's not quite big enough to be a castle but if you want to..."

We eat, talk, laugh, and... I hate to admit it, we have a good time. I don't want it to end, even if it's completely 100% fake.

I can't break first, I don't lose.

After dinner, Peeta takes me to a bar to get drinks and play some pool. As the night goes on, he starts loosening up and falling back into the groove he normally resides in. Add in some loud music and a few shots and he's back to being quite the asshole.

"Now," Peeta crooned, chalking up his pool cue. "Let me teach you how to lose."

"I imagine you'd be an expert on that, considering how much practice you've had." Peeta gave me a look.

"You're going down." He threatened, his eyes dangerously dark, glinting with intent. His arms came to rest on either side of my head against the wall, his imposing frame nearly swallowing me up whole. I pretended it had no effect on me.

"On you? Let's not pretend you could handle that without begging. We're pretending you have dignity, remember?" I smirked back, demonstrating my purpose by licking my lips and watching his eyes zero in on the movement and darken imperceptibly. "And remember, while there is a cure for love, infatuation is terminal, not even I can help you with that and I'm the best healer around."

"Dude." Came an irritated grunt from behind him. He released me and turned around. "Either play the game or get a room." The wiry redhead that bussed tables left, and I caught Peeta's eye. There were a few people waiting to play pool, but not enough to warrant the management to kick us out.

"'Get a room,'" Peeta mocked, rolling his eyes. "You'd think we're a couple of something."

"We currently kind of are," I correct him. "Other than that, I'd say we are frenemies except we aren't going for friends at all." I shrugged.

"Well." He stepped closer, trailing his hands down my arms to my hands, squeezing them in his, his thumbs brushing over the lace covering the backs of my hands. "They do say you should know your enemies. And, believe me, before even this week is out, I'm going to learn everything there is to know about you. All your weaknesses, everything that makes you tick, all your sensitive little buttons." He finished by whispering close to my ear, nearly making a shiver roll down my spine.

"You have to at least buy me dinner first. It can be your consolation prize for losing." I whispered back.

I beat him easily, he's good but I'm fantastic. I smirk over my pool cue before I take my winning shot. He curses under his breath.

"Come on, really? I didn't even have to use magic on that one, give me a challenge." I brag. I tip down the last of my beer. It's near closing time at the bar, and the bartender is watching us crossly. I decide it's time to go. Peeta is tipsy but I can hold my alcohol well, so I drive us.

"Peeta, I'm gonna charm your car to take you home, don't do anything stupid." I tell him as I get out at my castl-house. He nods vaguely and closes his eyes again.

Well, that was a wild evening.

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	5. Day After

As far as I could tell, Peeta woke up with a headache the next day. It was kind of satisfying, but I still felt a tiny bit bad, so I sent Buttercup over with a hangover cure.

I might have just done it to freak him out with my creepy talking cat showing up at his house. When I'd reanimated Buttercup for the ninth time, something went wrong and he ended up being able to talk. He generally chooses not to, since most of the time I know what he means anyway, but he can. It's a fun party trick to throw out, it's just too bad I'm never at parties.

Buttercup comes back to me cackling, and tells me what happened.

XxxxX

"Whoah- what the-" Peeta jumped as he caught sight of Buttercup sitting in the kitchen sink. "That is not my cat. I do not own a cat, what the hell happened last night?"

"Hello, Peeta Mellark." Buttercup said seriously, making Peeta scream and then wince immediately and the noise.

"The cat talks, what the hell is going on, the cat is talking."

"I've heard you have a hangover, so I was sent to deliver this to you." Buttercup dropped a vial onto the counter and nudged it closer to the cup sitting there.

"And why should I take that? Will it turn me into a frog?" Peeta asked, dubious.

"You don't have to drink it. You could just sit through your hangover until it goes away. And why does everyone assume you're turned into a frog? The default is a mule or sometimes just a rock." He explained, before jumping down from the counter and running back out the door.

"Mule? Why the hell was the door open? What the..." Peeta closed the door after Buttercup left.

XxxxX

I too was laughing as Buttercup finished the story.

"That was so worth it. He was an asshole last night." I told my cat. "Kept talking about beating me and then lost badly."

"I thought you were going to have a good time with him, it started off so nicely. He was being nice."

"Yeah, he was. But then he started getting drunk. Drunk Peeta is an asshole. I don't know if I like him or if I want to punch him in the throat." I admitted.

"Well you can't like him, liking him leads to loving him, and you can't fall in love with him or you'll lose."

"I know, Buttercup. And I don't lose. But maybe... maybe this was a bad idea."

"Remember what Primrose said. It doesn't matter, bad ideas always bring life lessons. You'll come away from this a smarter person. Plus you'll finally be able to use that love potion recipe." He says, stalking up the stairs to take a nap in my turret bedroom.

"You're right. I just need to get through this. He's a simple guy, he'll fall in love on accident just like every other simple guy." I tell myself.

XxxxX

Peeta: hey beautiful

Katniss: good morning asshole :)

Peeta: :( wow hurtful

Peeta: and i'm just over here trying to be nice

Katniss: gonna need an apology for your behavior last night then

Peeta: oh god what did i do

Katniss: u were an ass

Peeta: yeah i gathered that. what did i do tho

Katniss: u were being an ass about the pool game

Katniss: almost had me thinking u were a decent human being before that too

Peeta: fuck i screwed up. sorry:(

Peeta: do u forgive me

Katniss: maybe

Katniss: prove you're sorry first

Peeta: [image attached] :((((

Katniss: is that seriously your puppy dog face

Peeta: no obv not

Peeta: my puppy dog face is irresistable.

Peeta: [image attached]

Katniss: oh my god that is cute

Peeta: *irrisistable

Katniss: don't push it

Katniss: its cute tho

Peeta: :)))

Peeta: am i forgiven then

Katniss: sigh.

Katniss: i guess.

Katniss: u owe me dinner tho

Peeta: fair enough

Peeta: tomorrow night?

Katniss: sure. same place? the waitress kinda hated us

Katniss: i could put a spell on her

Katniss: put a wart on her nose

Katniss: give her cloven feet

Katniss: make her fall in love with the bartender

Peeta: woah woah woah

Peeta: maybe let's not go back there

Peeta: isn't there some kind of witch code anyway

Peeta: like u cant use stuff on civilians or no love potions or anything

Katniss: witches aren't really in contact with each other. Most of them choose to remain unknown and have normal lives so i don't actually know any witches

Peeta: bummer

Peeta: so anything's fair game then?

Katniss: aside from elicit murder, kinda

Peeta: dang

Peeta: so if u hate me at the end of this, i'm basically screwed

Katniss: yeah basically

Katniss: incentive for u to not be an ass ;)

Peeta: hold up

Peeta: have u tried using a love potion on me

Katniss: no it requires diamonds and u haven't proposed yet

Peeta: ?

Peeta: how the hell do you put diamonds in a love potion

Katniss: grind them up

Katniss: duh

Peeta: ?

Peeta: that leaves me with more questions

Katniss: mhmmm ;)

Peeta: love potion is cheating tho btw

Katniss: i know

Katniss: u think i wouldn't have used it by now if it wasn't

Peeta: should i be scared of dating u

Katniss: probably

Katniss: 50% bc im a witch

Katniss: 50% bc im just a really weird person

Peeta: noted

Peeta: gtg, my bro just got here

Katniss: okay bye asshole

Peeta: Talk to you later, princess


	6. Falling

"So you have a cat that's essentially immortal so long as you also stay alive."

"Yeah, we take care of each other. It's a mutually beneficial parasitic relationship." I said, eyeing Buttercup sitting in the corner. He stuck his tongue out at me. Peeta nodded slowly. He'd come over after Buttercup went to his house to ask me, in his words, 'what the fuck?'

"Okay... weird but a good setup I guess. How many times have you... brought him back to life?" He asked.

"This last time was the ninth. Before that, he'd used up all his other nine lives so technically he's died 18 times."

"Geez, what the hell are you doing, Buttercup?" He looked at the cat, who just meowed innocently.

"He almost never tells me what happens but I respect his privacy. Plus I don't really want to know what he does." I tell Peeta, who nods vaguely.

"Oh, I came over to give you this," he handed me a small package, "And to invite you to go with me to my cousin's housewarming party. He just got married - you should see what the little woman's done with the place."

"Is that how you're going to refer to me someday? The little woman?" I asked Peeta jokingly. His eyebrows go up and I realized what I'd said, cursing myself.

"Someday? Katniss Everdeen, are you referencing a future in which we're married?" I backpedaled.

"It's a joke, asshat. I don't want to get married at all, and especially not to you." I look him up and down to emphasize my words, but at the same time, I have to admit how attractive I find him. My eyes land back on his, and he winks at me.

"I'm walking right into trouble as I stare into her eyes..." He whispered. "Trouble never looked so damn fine."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Buttercup has moved to get a better view of the scene. I use that to distract myself from the way Peeta's words make me feel.

"Watch your step, Mellark. One wrong move could be deadly." I whisper back, even though I have no idea what I'm trying to say. He looks at me like he can tell I'm just saying the first thing that comes to my head, and I curse him inwardly for knowing.

"I'll pick you up tonight at 7." He says with a half-smile on his face. He leans in close to whisper in my ear, his breath brushing down my neck to give me chills. "Wear something pretty." He tells me, touches his lips to my earlobe. Then, that bastard, turns around and just leaves, walks out of my castl-house and to his car.

I sink back against my desk and hear the faint crunch of dried leaves being smashed. I'm weirdly breathless, and I look at Buttercup. I feel the wrapped gift he gave me slip out of my fingers and onto the floor with a soft thud. I don't really register the sound.

"Someone's got the hots. And I'm not sure who." He tells me, laughing to himself. "But I'm beginning to think it's the cranky, isolated witch who's badly in need of some-"

"Thank you Buttercup. That'll be all." I cut him off, rubbing my hand over my face as I leave the room and head up to my tower.

I resist the urge to pick something pretty out of my closet.

XxxxX

PEETA POV

As I walked out of Katniss' c - house, I put both hands on the hood of my car and take a deep breath. Dammit, this isn't supposed to be so hard... and neither is THAT. FUCK. I adjust my pants as discreetly as I can and get into my car, getting the hell out of there as soon as possible. Katniss has a weird effect on me that I can't quite place. Not quite a crush, not quite lust, not quite affection... just... some weird combination of the three. Fuck, I need a drink...

XxxxX

As I'd promised, I came back to Katniss' place to pick her up right at 7:00. I hadn't heard from her since I left, which wasn't unusual per se, but did concern me anyway.

I got out of the car to go ring her doorbell, but before I could, it opened. It was exactly as dramatic as it was the last time I came to pick her up from something, but this time I wasn't caught off guard. She came down the stairs again, just like she had on our first date, and just like then, I felt my breath caught in my throat.

"Good evening, Peeta." She smiled, clearly aware of my reaction.

"Katniss." I nodded. My voice sounds hoarse to me, and I swallow hard. I told her to wear something pretty. This is not pretty. This is stunning. Jaw dropping. Arousing.

Dead puppies... Dead puppies... Dead puppies...

I take her hand as she comes down the last few steps, surprised that she let me. Her mile-high boots make me nervous for her safety, but she seems to be managing them well.

I want nothing more than to see her wearing nothing but those boots.

I mentally slap myself. What the fuck, Mellark? Get a grip, you've got to win this one. I realized yesterday that we'd never actually determined what happens to the loser, but she is a witch, so I don't want to mess around with that.

"Are you ready to go?" I ask, somewhat back in control of my runaway thoughts. Katniss nods, and I lead her to my car, opening her door for her and helping her in. Like a gentleman. Nailed it. I walk around the hood to get in myself, and get in quietly.

"So your cousin? He's the one that married the ginger right?" She asks me. I nod.

"That's the one. Finnick and Annie Odair." I glance over at her. "Are you nervous?" Her twitching hands halt their movements.

"No, why would you think that?"

"You haven't stopped fidgeting since you got in the car. I promise, they're really chill people. Low key, very welcoming. I've told Finnick about you and he wants to meet you."

"How much did you tell him?"

"You mean did I mention we're dating for a bet? Yes. I told him the whole story. He got quite a kick out of it."

"Fantastic..."

XxxxX

When we arrived at the party, I told Katniss to wait, and ran around to her side to get her door for her. She rolled her eyes.

"Do you have a phobia of me using a door?"

"Hey, you're the one with a freaking automatic charmed door in your castle."

"House."

"Sure. Hey Fin, this is Katniss." I greeted my cousin, going up to Annie to give her a hug while Finnick introduced himself to Katniss.

"Katniss Everdeen, it's lovely to meet you. Peeta can't stop talking about you." Fin winked at me. I rolled my eyes.

xxx

Fin and I were playing pool in his den while the party continued upstairs. He walked around the table, eyeing his shot.

"You know, for people who supposedly hate each other, you spend an awful lot of time getting up close and personal." Finnick remarked.

"I don't hate her, I just refuse to lose to her. And everyone knows closeness is used to establish physical dominance." I defended myself.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. And what do the longing looks establish?"

I smacked him upside the head and he laughed.

"Can you, like, not be a moron for two seconds?" I scowl, aiming my shot.

"I've tried, not worth it."

"I do not give her longing looks." I mumble, half to myself.

"You most certainly do. Constantly."

"You're deluded. I'm not remotely interested in Katniss Everdeen. Have you seen the woman? She wears black constantly, she lives in a veritable castle, she's a literal witch... Really, she has always been half goddess, half hell. And for me, she's just not worth pursuing." I tell him with finality.

"You just keep telling yourself that, man. You'll come to reason soon enough."


	7. New Information

**There's not much witchiness in this chapter, but don't worry, it's on its way! I'm really looking forward to the next couple chapters and what they may hold;) Potions and magic may or may not have a part in the near future... Enjoy chapter 7!**

(Katniss POV)

While Peeta was playing pool with Finnick, I talked to Annie, who, it seemed, was not aware of the situation.

"I'm so glad Peeta has someone to care about - he's had such poor luck with dating these past few years." She tells me, sipping her drink slowly. I look at her.

"He hasn't told me much about his previous relationships, what happened?"

"Well, there was the one girl who left him at the altar about a year and a half ago." She shook her head, "That was rough. After that one was out of the picture, the next girl ended up being lesbian, so that wasn't great, and he caught the most recent one cheating on him with one of his college buddies. I feel so bad for the man."

I didn't know what to say to that - I just assumed Peeta kept going from girl to girl to girl, but apparently he'd had a difficult couple of years. I curse myself for calling him a player.

"That's awful," I finally say, at a loss for what else I could bring up.

"But that's the past now, he has you. And I can tell he really likes you-" She winks at me. I smile.

"Really? Why do you say that?" I probe.

"He won't stop talking about you, he absolutely lights up when someone mentions you and the way he looks at you..." She sighed with a smile. "Young love is so precious."

I almost start laughing. Peeta doesn't love me, that's for sure.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that." I say honestly, "And I have had such an amazing time with him - he's really just the best." I'm only kind of lying, Peeta is fun to hang out with most of the time, and of all the guys I've dated, he is the best. He's the only one, but by default, that makes him the best.

"I'm happy to hear that as well." She says, smiling. "Can I get you another drink?" She gestures to the beverage I'd just finished. I politely decline, and we head into the den to find Peeta and Finnick.

xXx

"What were you and Annie talking about?" Peeta asks me on the car ride home. I shrug.

"Mostly about the recent news, I don't know. We were just kind of small talking." I lie. I have a lot to reevaluate with Peeta - specifically him being an entirely different person than who I thought he was. "What were you and Finnick talking about?"

"Sports, mostly. He's been following a few teams for his job recently, so he was talking about that."

I sense that Peeta is also not telling the truth, but neither one of us is going to divulge what we heard. So the game goes.

"So it sounds like neither one of us had meaningful conversations, then." I say, looking at my nails. Peeta glances over at me.

"Yeah, I guess not." We don't speak for a bit. "We could have one now, though." He suggests hesitantly.

"Okay. What do you wanna talk about?" I ask him. He shrugs.

"I don't know, what do you and I have in common?"

"Let's see, I'm a witch, you're just a normal dude. I have a cat, you don't have pets. I have a sister, you have two brothers. Both my parents are dead, both your parents are living. What am I missing?"

"Well, that was nice and depressing, thanks for that."

"We don't have a lot in common. We both sing, I guess, so there's that."

"That's true..." He gets a little pink, "I remember hearing you sing when we were kids. You're really good."

"Peeta Mellark, did you just compliment me?" I ask, looking at him. I all but forget the stupid bet we made

"Yeah, I guess. I like hearing you sing." He said earnestly, looking at me. I give him a small, shy smile back. I don't know where we stand at this point. We're not actively antagonizing each other, we're not quite friends... what's in between those two?

He pulls up in front of my house and jumps out to get my door again. I let him, taking the hand he offers me as he helps me out. He walks me to my door and I don't open it right away.

"Are you going to kiss me goodnight?" I ask him. That was a part of our agreement, right? He looks surprised.

"I didn't think you'd want me to."

"Well, I'm asking you to, aren't I?" I point out, adjusting his jacket collar to give my hands something to do.

"In that case..."

His hands went to my neck, cradling it as he leaned in. I tilted my face up and closed my eyes, letting my lips part slightly. When his lips touched mine, a soft warmth spread through me, and I leaned into him. This is nice. Peeta Mellark is a good kisser.

And, apparently, a good person? More thought would have to be devoted to that later.

Our lips parted, and Peeta leaned in again to give me a soft peck, making me smile.

"You're a bit of a sap, Peeta Mellark." I tell him.

"Yeah, well, one of us has to be." He sighs to himself, pulling me close for a warm hug. I wrap my arms around him and rest my head on his chest, hearing his heart beat quickly under my ear.

"Thanks for volunteering." I tease, and feel his soft snort.

"Goodnight, Katniss Everdeen." He says, kissing the top of my head and releasing me.

"Goodnight, Peeta." I say, opening my door and backing inside my castle. Peeta smiled as he took a couple steps backward, then turned to walk to his car.

I smiled, closing the door behind me and leaning against it. Buttercup cleared his throat.

"Have a nice evening?"

"Yeah, I did." I say, still smiling.

"You lose the bet yet?" He prods. The smile drops from my lips and I look at him.

"Fuck, I forgot about that part..."

xXx

(Annie's POV)

"So, what were you and Katniss talking about so seriously up here?" My husband asks, coming out of the bathroom with his toothbrush in hand. I put my book down and smile at him.

"Just giving her some necessary background about cousin Peeta."

Finn raises his eyebrows, wordlessly asking for more detail. I sigh.

"Remember when Peeta said Katniss called him a player? It's because he's been with 3 different girls in the last year and a half, and that's how that comes across. So I told her what happened with them."

"And?"

My husband knows me too well.

"I may have given her the standard 'he really likes you, he can't shut up about you, he lights up when he hears your name' all that. She's more likely to let her guard down if she thinks he already has." I reason. He shakes his head, smiling.

"You're a sneaky one, Annie Odair. I would've never thought of that." He goes into the bathroom to rinse his mouth, then rejoins me in bed, turning the lights out.

"I'm going to get Katniss to fall in love with Peeta; or rather, see that she already is. They deserve to be happy together, and everyone knows he's been smitten with her since 2nd grade." I tell him, snuggling into his side. Finn smiles at me in the dim light, wrapping his arms around me.

"They're probably making out in front of her house right now." He says, kissing my hair. I smile and agree.

 **Another chapter done! Please leave me a review, you don't need an account to post one. How do you like Finn and Annie getting on board with the bet? I like the idea of Annie being chaotic good and doing her own thing. Let me know if you want any other characters to make an appearance as well!**


	8. Slipping

**Another chapter of this while my older stories sit neglected... I can't help but love this storyline, witch Katniss is so fun to write. Go check out my new oneshot if you haven't seen it yet, and don't forget to leave reviews! Enjoy!**

KATNISS POV

After the disaster that was our evening out - disaster meaning it went far too well - I needed something to clear my head. If I'm gonna get through this, I'm gonna need my wits. I refuse to lose this bet to Peeta fucking Mellark.

I wandered into my lair of sorts. This is the perfect time to clean it up considering I might need to use it for that stupid love potion to get myself out of this mess.

I started by finally binding and hanging all the random herbs I'd stashed around the room, half of which were moldy already because of my neglect. I put the books back on their shelves and put all my loose wands back in the drawer where they belong. In the back of my head, I start thinking about where I could get what I need for a love potion and how the hell I could get my hands on a diamond. There must be some substitute...

As I walked back around my desk, I noticed a package on the ground. It was the gift from Peeta that I'd dropped and forgotten about. I pulled the knot loose and opened the paper up. Inside was a beautiful necklace - dark metal with purple stones. I sat down on the edge of my desk to examine it.

Each stone was faceted in a different way, making the piece look eclectic and interesting. The settings were hand done by someone with considerable skill. This couldn't have been cheap. I held the necklace up to my throat and went out into the hallway to look in the mirror.

Ugh, it's beautiful. I'm already thinking of which dresses and tops would look best with it...

"What do you have there?" I jumped when Buttercup's voice came from behind me.

"I uh... it's that present from Peeta. I forgot about it."

"Really. He's got you all wrapped around his finger now, doesn't he. You should see yourself grinning like an idiot every time you see him."

"I do not do that, shut up." I grunt, taking the necklace off and tossing it onto my side table. "He means nothing to me."

"If you can't even convince your cat of that, imagine how ridiculous you'll sound to other people." Buttercup cackles, heading up the stairs to my room to go to sleep probably on my pillow like the little shit that he is.

"I don't even like Peeta Mellark." I grumble to myself in the mirror. I huff in frustration. It rings false even to myself.

I go back into my lair to finish tidying it up, and am nearly done cleaning when I hear my phone ping from my bedroom. My first thought is that it's from Peeta, and as I rush upstairs, I glance at a clock. Almost 1:30? This had better not be a damn booty call or I swear...

xXx

PEETA POV

After I left Katniss at her castle, I got in my car and leaned the seat back all the way. I just sat there thinking.

As far as I can tell, Katniss does like me at least a little bit. Especially with the kiss and the hug... those were her ideas. Maybe I'm just reading into it, and she is seriously confusing. And she is just doing what she said she would when she made the bet guidelines. I sigh. What did I get myself into this time?

I sit my chair up and start my car, cursing when the motor growls loudly. I glance up at Katniss's window, but don't see any movement. I high tail it out of there and drive back to my place.

Soon after, I got in bed and turned my lights out, my eyes wide open in the darkness staring up at the ceiling. After ten minutes, I grab my phone and open my messages. Nothing from Katniss. I start a message.

To: Katniss

Peeta: Sweet dreams, Katniss

No no no... I deleted the draft. I want something that she'll respond to. "You in bed?" Too creepy. "Thinking of you..." Too vague. "Had fun tonight" Too first date-y.

Peeta: hey

I hit send and rolled my eyes. "hey?" That's all I could come up with? I stared at my screen waiting for a reply that might never come. My heart skipped a beat as I saw those three dots.

Katniss: ...

Katniss: miss me?

I grinned, I love our banter.

Peeta: no what makes you think that

Katniss: the fact that you're texting me after midnight

Peeta: wasn't that a part of the agreement

Peeta: texting late into the night

Peeta: at least until you move in with me, when it'll be talking late into the night

Katniss: whoa whoa whoa

Katniss: move in with you?

I cursed myself. Why did you have to bring that up? My phone buzzed and I looked back at it.

Katniss: if anything you'd move in with me

Katniss: my castle is way too cool

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Peeta: so you admit its a castle?

Katniss: it has a turret, so whatever.

Peeta: first battle won

Katniss: yeah sure whatever

Peeta: next will be getting you to admit you like me

Katniss: why would I lie?

Peeta: ouch

Peeta: you like me

Peeta: admit it

Katniss: okay im gonna ignore you now

Peeta: you can try but you're gonna miss me in five minutes

Katniss: which one of us texted first?

Peeta: irrelevant

I waited a couple of minutes, but it seemed like she was actually going to stop texting, so I put my phone down and rolled over.

Damn it, I'm so gonna lose this bet.

 **Who do you think will lose the bet? Also, what do you guys think of the new prequel? I haven't heard much about it other than it exists. Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave me a review!**


	9. High Stakes?

**This story is getting close to the end - we've passed the halfway point! I can't wait for you guys to read the next chapters, they're gonna be fun. Who do you think will win the bet, the obvious choice, Peeta or the surprise twist, Katniss? Let me know in your review:)**

Katniss POV

When I woke up, my first thought was that I should make the potion today. It can sit for a few days before you use it so waiting for the right time would be fine. I got on my computer and started researching.

I found that you can actually substitute Toe of Frog (buttercups) for diamonds with nearly identical results. Thankfully, the only downside to the substitution would be that it wears off faster, which is perfect for me. I don't need Peeta to stay in love with me... I have plenty of buttercups downstairs, and since that was the last ingredient that I hadn't found yet, I could mix everything together and concoct a delicious love potion.

I ignored the four texts Peeta had sent me saying good morning, electing instead to go downstairs and pour all my ingredients into my cauldron. It made a huge mess, steam and smoke everywhere, tiny pieces of dried flowers and leaves, liquids splashed out of the massive pot. But it would all be worth it when Peeta loses the bet, we part and go our separate ways and move on with our lives.

Peeta is a lot more likable than I thought he would be, and I'm almost regretting the bet. I can still win this, though, and I intend to do so.

"Is that a love potion I smell?" Buttercup jumped up on my desk to peer into my brew.

"What if it is?"

"Didn't he say that's cheating?"

"He doesn't need to know. He'll admit he fell in love, I tell him that I don't feel that way about him, we break up, he moves away and finds a new girl, I stay here and things go back to how they used to be before I got myself into this mess." My voice sounds overly calm to my own ears, and I know how ridiculous I sound. I sigh, sitting down next to Buttercup.

"The problem is, you like him."

"What? No I don't! He's... the worst..." I ramble, trying to remember why I didn't like Peeta. "He has bad breath," a lie, "He's an asshole," another lie, "And he hit on Prim, which is unforgivable." I finish. Buttercup cackles.

"Okay, I was wrong. You're in love with him."

I squeak in indignance, standing up to look at my stupid cat.

"I am not! He's too nice, his hair is dumb and he's an asshole!" I sputter, knowing full well that I'm fighting a losing battle.

Buttercup is still laughing at me, and I scowl at him. I huff, sitting back down on my desk.

"If I admit it, it makes it more real." I tell him quietly when he finally stops laughing.

"Why don't you want it to be real? If it's not real, you go back to your boring, lonesome life. If it is real, you lose a little pride but gain a great guy. You know that he's a good man, you'd have to be an idiot not to see that."

There comes a point in life when you're at an all time low. When your dumb cat starts making more sense than you, you know you've hit that low.

I turn off the flame under my cauldron and go up to my room. It's time to grab the bull by its horns.

xXx

Peeta POV

My music interrupts to play my text chime, and I look up at it on instinct. I shake my head, looking back down at the cake I'm frosting and focus on that. My phone dings again, and I put down the frosting tube to check it. My heart skips a beat when I see it's from Katniss, so I unlock my phone and lean against the counter.

Peeta: good morning:)

Peeta: I don't have a cute nickname for u

Peeta: i'm gonna be working in the bakery today, but Im done around 2

Peeta: lmk if you wanna do something tonight

Katniss: that would be fun

I grin. I've sort of come to terms with the fact that I'll probably be the one to lose this bet. Now, I just want to spend as much time as I can with Katniss before this whole thing is over. I'm not going to tell her that I love her for as long as possible so we continue to spend time together.

Peeta: sweet, any ideas of what to do?

Katniss: nope

Katniss: that's ur job, ur the romantic one

Peeta: ok, i'll surprise you then

I started to get giddy about the idea of surprising Katniss with an amazing date. There's a carnival in the next town, or we could go to a fancy restaurant, or maybe somewhere out in the middle of nowhere... no, she could kill me and nobody would ever find my body...

Katniss: okay, any hints?

Peeta: wear something comfortable

Katniss: k

K?

I put my phone down again and continue working on my cake. If I can get done early enough, I can pick her up and we can drive somewhere nice. I want to take her to a place she'd like that isn't in our hometown, make it a little bit more special. I decide on somewhere outdoors where we can walk around and look at something cool.

As I continue working, my mind wanders through our area to come up with a date idea that will wow Katniss. I've read that if you take a date to a place where they'll get adrenaline, they'll associate it with being with you and attraction or something. It's worth a shot.

By the time I'm done with everything, I take off with a plan.

I start by texting Katniss, telling her I'll be there to pick her up in 45 minutes and to wear walking shoes.

On the drive, I make a couple of calls to set up some reservations, relieved when each place confirms they can fit us in.

I go home, changing into some nice clothes that aren't too dressy. I head out to Katniss's castle, stopping on the way to buy a dozen roses for her, two wine glasses and a bottle of wine. I put all of it into a basket, sticking that in the trunk of my car.

My plan is perfect.

I arrive at her castle, puting the flowers behind my back and going up to her door, which opens.

Katniss is already downstairs, looking adorable in sneakers and a ponytail. I've never seen her this casual, and it's my new favorite thing. She looks nervous and I smile at her.

"You look beautiful." I tell her, and she rolls her eyes.

"I'm wearing shorts and you're in a button down shirt. Let me go change."

"No no no, what you have on is perfect. I love it."

"We don't look like we're going to the same place, I'm gonna go put on long pants. I'll be right back." She tells me, heading back upstairs to her room. I shuffle around the downstairs waiting for her to come back, and I find the necklace I gave her on a table. I frown.

"She loved it."

I jump, dropping the necklace and spinning around in the direction of the voice. Buttercup. I still can't get used to the talking cat.

"What?"

"She loved it. The necklace." He repeats. "She was twirling around in the mirror with it on after she opened it. It was ridiculous."

I smile, rejoicing on the inside. I wasn't sure what one generally buys for one's goth witch girlfriend early in the relationship, and took a chance with the necklace. I'm glad she likes it. I hear footsteps and I turn in the direction of the stairs, moving the roses back behind my back as Katniss comes back down, her hair down and her shorts swapped for black jeans.

"Perfect." I tell her, grinning.

"Thanks." She blushes slightly, and I take her hand as she walks down the last few steps. She stops on the lowest step, looking into my eyes, still holding my hand.

"Can I kiss you?" I ask in a whisper. She nods slightly.

Our lips meet gently, and my thumb rubs absent circles on her hand. Her free hand goes to the back of my head, and I lean in closer to her.

She pulls away first, and I immediately missed the kiss. She clears her throat and gestures at my arm behind my back.

"What do you have there?"

I show her the roses, holding them in front of my face and looking at her over the top. She laughs and rolls her eyes.

"Roses for my lady."

"They're beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you," I say as she takes them. She goes into the kitchen to get a vase, and I follow her, watching as she pulled off the leaves and cut their stems.

"Where are we going?" She asks while she works.

"That's a surprise. It's not too far from here, though. I hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure I will. You said something about walking?"

"Yeah, I just didn't want you to wear those really tall shoes so your feet don't hurt by the end. It's nothing crazy, though."

"Okay, that gives me exactly no information." She put the last rose into the vase and dried her hands off. "Ready to go?"

"After you," I motion towards the door, following her out again. My hand ghosts over the small of her back, wondering if she'd let me touch her.

I open the door for her as well as the car door, walking around the front to get in my side. As I get in, I get nervous all over again.

Katniss likes me, I assure myself. It's just a nice date with little to no pressure.

I pull out of her driveway and we get on the road towards Kentucky.

 **This chapter is somewhat longer than previous ones, and the rest of the chapters in this story will probably be around this length. What do you think of these new developments? Leave me a review and let me know!**


	10. Mammoth Caves

**I'm back! This story is wrapping up and while I'm sad to see it end, I'm glad that I've been able to share it. I'm planning on 1-3 more chapters for this one, so add this story to your list so you get email updates when I post! I also just put a quick poll up on my profile so I can get a better idea of what you all would like me to update next, so when you're done reading, be sure to check that out. Enjoy this chapter!**

Katniss POV

Peeta was driving us out of the state? It took around an hour to reach the Kentucky border, and I looked over at him in confusion. He just grinned back at me with that dumb smile that can get away with anything.

"Are you taking me out into the middle of nowhere to murder me?" I tease.

"You know, I actually decided against taking you to the middle of nowhere earlier because I have a pretty good idea that it would not be me walking away from that scenario." He tells me. Okay, I can work with that. I haven't exactly seen him fight, but I am a witch, so he's probably right.

"So where are we going?" I ask. He winks, and I can't deny how cute that was. Damn him.

"You'll just have to see. It's not much longer, we'll be there soon." He promised. I nodded, looking out the window to try to figure out where we're going. Considering the fact that I've been out of Tennessee exactly once, I don't have a lot to go off.

Peeta pulls off the highway, and I check the road signs as we pass them.

"Mammoth Cave National Park? What is that?" I ask. If it was some huge attraction, I'm sure I would've heard of it. I'm pretty isolated, but I still know about things...

"You'll see." He repeats, and if he didn't have such a cute smile, it would annoy me.

We parked, got out and walked towards the visitor center. Caves?

"You brought me to see caves?" I ask him, confused. He doesn't answer, instead leading me towards the "park" entrance, which was basically just down a ton of stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs, I looked around me, gaping. These are some amazing caves.

I felt Peeta's hand wrap around mine, and he tugged me towards the walking path through the cave. Everything was echoing but in the seconds between noises, everything was silent and peaceful. The cave formations took my breath away.

"It's beautiful." I mutter, and Peeta's hand squeezes mine. He's looking at me when he says,

"I know."

I feel my cheeks flush, but in the low light of the cave, he probably couldn't see it.

In my jeans pocket, my free hand is wrapped around the tiny vial I brought. Just in case. In this magical cave with the lights just so and the soft echoes surrounding us, I might just need to use it.

We walked around the cave hand-in-hand for awhile before we were ushered out by the park rangers at closing. To be fair, it was quite late to be wandering around a dark cave.

Still, the sounds of the outside with the distant highway noise and the light of the setting sun, I felt like our moment was slipping away. Good. I refuse to lose this bet.

"Hey, I brought us another surprise." Peeta whispered as we walked to his car. "I have some good wine for us, let's find a nice spot to watch the rest of the sunset before we head back home."

I nod in agreement, wine sounds amazing right now.

It takes a few minutes to find a pulloff where our view of the sunset isn't obscured by scrubby trees, but once we find it, the view is amazing.

"C'mon, I'll pour you a glass." Peeta smiles, getting out and opening the trunk.

I feel both like a middle-aged woman and like a teenager when we sit on the top of his car drinking what is probably expensive wine from actual glass wine glasses. Peeta gestures to the sunset with his wine.

"That's my favorite color. Sort of a soft orange." He tells me, smiling.

"Orange?" I ask, although it does make sense. Orange is a warm color for a warm person.

"Yeah, what's your favorite color? I feel like we never talk about the 'deep stuff.'" He says, looking into my eyes so earnestly that I don't know how to react. I scoff lightly.

"Favorite colors are 'the deep stuff?'"

Peeta just shrugs, smiling at me.

"The 'deep stuff' is whatever you want it to be, Katniss."

Favorite colors works. I point to a tree down the road.

"Green. Like that tree. And most other trees too." I tell him, feeling dumb. He's so good at words and speaking, I can't compete.

Peeta looks off in the direction I point to. My heart is racing in my chest as I take that second to dump the contents of the tiny love potion vial into his wine. My hands are shaking as I try to stuff the stopper back in and get it out of sight as quickly as possible.

He turns back right as I'm tucking the vial back into my pocket, which he thankfully doesn't notice. He picks up his wine again, and I can hear my blood rushing in my ears.

We both turn back to admire the sunset, and I can't help but panic.

What did I do? I can't just make an excuse and take off, we're in the middle of nowhere. Now, he's going to be head over heels in love with me and I can't do anything about it until we get back to my place, which is at least an hour away. I can't help but act guilty and just pray he doesn't notice.

"I have a question for you, Katniss." He breaks the silence, making me jump. Crap crap crap...

"Okay, what is it?" I ask, hesitant.

"What do you do with your time? Like, I work in a bakery, but what does a witch do? Brew potions?" He raises his wine glass to gesture with, and with every movement, I'm waiting for his behavior to change as the potion kicks in. I calm down slightly, but even when I laugh, it sounds fake and nervous. If he notices, he doesn't comment.

"I uh... I don't do a whole lot. I take care of sick people sometimes if they come by, I keep things running, grow food, take it to the market on the corner? You know, the one that sells the really good fruit? They sell my produce there, so that's kind of how I earn money. I don't know, I just kind of... live." I explain, not really sure what I actually did today or yesterday.

I glance at Peeta's face, and he's smiling at me with the softest expression on his face.

It's kicking in.

"That sounds really nice. I've probably eaten your produce, I shop at that market all the time." He tells me, reaching out to brush my hair back gently. My eyes close, and I can fell my heart pounding out of my chest.

"Yeah, you probably have."

"Would you consider selling wholesale to the bakery? Like fruits and stuff to put in breads?" He asks, his hand coming to rest on mine on the roof of his car. I try not to flinch away.

"Yeah, I mean I don't really have anything right now, but..." I trail off as he scoots closer to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and looking off into the disappearing sunset. I'm afraid that he'll feel my racing heart, but if he does, he doesn't mention it.

Against my better judgement, I lean my head down to rest on his shoulder, and he rests his head on mine, his thumb caressing my shoulder. Admittedly, it is really nice and I feel both safe and content like this.

Dammit, Everdeen, get it together!

All I have to do is hold out until he drops the L-bomb, and then I can 'break up' with him, tell him he lost and we can move on with our lives.

Maybe he'll be a little bummed out, but I can make an anti-love potion and have Buttercup spike his morning coffee with it or something.

It'll be fine, just gotta hold out a little longer. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.

The sunset disappears, leaving nothing behind but a pink-tinged sky and a dusky light.

Peeta puts our wine glasses aside and helps me down from the roof, leaving his hands on my waist for a moment longer than strictly necessary, but I don't mind.

His eyes bore into my soul, and he leans down slowly... closer... towards my lips...

His kiss is warm and tender, and I feel a tingle from my spine out to my fingertips and toes. It's a beautiful kiss, and he pulls away too soon.

Crap. What did I do?

 **I can't wait to finish the next chapter, it's going to be so full of drama! Leave me a review (don't need an account to leave a review) and tell me who you think will crack first, and don't forget to check out the new poll on my profile!**

 **Review response: guest, Prim doesn't live with Katniss, she has her own place. She lives sort of a normal life with college and roommates etc, and Katniss is still in the castle holding down the fort. They're both adults in the story. Thanks for your review!**


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